A creative effort in St. Petersburg, FL, is supporting local healthcare workers and downtown businesses. The online Edge Guide selects one restaurant and one hospital or healthcare provider to participate each day. Meals are purchased from downtown businesses and delivered at no cost to the healthcare providers. As of late March, the program had raised…To read more — login/subscribe
The Merrimack Valley Sandbox has created an incubator model, which it says will boost the social and economic vitality of cities with populations under 200,000. The model is more inclusive than most, the staff works with everyone from high school students and their teachers to senior citizens, as well as entrepreneurs from varied ethnic and…Continue reading
Albuquerque, NM (est. pop. 562,591), is trying a novel approach to quelling crime in a problematic area downtown: It’s bringing in food trucks. Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller has labeled two parking lots on Central Avenue “drivers of crime.” To address the issues there, the city plans a “food truck corral” that will operate on Friday…To read more — login/subscribe
The owner of 15 South Avenue in downtown New Canaan, CT, is seeking permission to convert second floor commercial space to residential. For years, both floors in the small building have been retail. Because of the low demand for retail space in the city center, the owner would like develop a one bedroom apartment. Many…Continue reading
Downtown Boulder, Inc. has slowly amassed a collection of behind-the-scenes stories about local business owners that have become the core of a robust Shop Local campaign, and several themed breakout campaigns throughout the year."People are really interested in everyday people and fun questions, so we thought maybe that would work for our small business owners,…Continue reading
In a trend that continues to vex downtown leaders and landlords, many office workers have shifted to working from home, either full time or a few days a week. “Even now, 42 percent of workers work from home full-time. Others only go in a few days a week,” Vanessa Quijano, director of communication for NJ…To read more — login/subscribe
Active recreation takes over parking lot While many downtowns face a shortage of parking, in Grand Rapids, MI, the Downtown Development Authority is converting part of a parking lot into three outdoor futsal courts. Futsal is a scaled-down version of soccer involving two teams of five players competing on a smaller field with a smaller…To read more — login/subscribe
White Box programs are proving effective at driving redevelopment in city centers and getting hard to fill spaces rented. The programs typically help fund improvements to heating/cooling systems, lighting, electrical systems, bathrooms, and finished (but not yet painted) ceilings and floors. Improvements that are meant to make older buildings habitable for new users. While many…Continue reading
A downtown-wide vote engaged the public and provided needed supplies for local charities in Winchester, KY. With eight potential place-making projects and just $5,000 to spend, Main Street Winchester created the Winchester Downtown Bracket to select the winning project. The projects were in four categories: downtown amenities, public art, pedestrian improvements, and landscape projects, with…Continue reading
Eye-catching murals draw attention to garage A public art project is bringing new life to the Midtown Parking Deck in downtown Lynchburg, VA. Each of the four floors boasts a unique design ranging from geometric to floral patterns. The lively new look was created to beautify and to dispel some misconceptions about downtown parking. Susan…To read more — login/subscribe
